Thursday, April 14, 2011

How to protect yourself when earthquake happens

After Japan consist earthquakes, I want to find out the right ways to protect myself when earthquake happens. There is two popular ways to protect yourself when earthquake hits—— "Drop!Cover!Hold on!" and “Triangle of Life”. First one is "Drop!Cover!Hold on! ".



      Drop: Immediately drop to the ground where you are before the earthquake drops you. Shaking might be violentthat you cannot run or crawl. Drop where you are. Earthquakes occur without any warning and you will never know if the initial earthquake jolt will turn out to be the start of the big one. Drop before you know.DROP down onto your hands and knees (before the earthquakes knocks you down). This position protects you from falling but allows you to still move if necessary.

      Cover: Take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table. If there isn`t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms. You are much more likely to be injured by falling or flying objects (TVs, lamps, glass, bookcases, etc) than to die in a collapsed building.COVER your head and neck (and your entire body if possible) under a sturdy table or desk. If there is no shelter nearby, only then should you get down near an interior wall (or next to low-lying furniture that won't fall on you), and cover your head and neck with your arms and hands.

       Hold on: The floor or the ground could jerk strongly sideways or out from under you; Hold on to something sturdy and stay where you are until the shaking stop. When the shaking stops, move carefully.HOLD ON to your shelter (or to your head and neck) until the shaking stops. Be prepared to move with your shelter if the shaking shifts it around.

Sencond one is "Triangle of Life", by Doug Copp
    
The Triangle of Life is a controversial theory about how to survive a major earthquake, typically promoted via viral emails.


  The theory advocated methods of protection very different from the mainstream advice of "drop, cover, and hold on" method widely supported by reputable agencies. In particular, the method's developer and key proponent, Doug Copp, recommends that at the onset of a major earthquake, building occupants should seek shelter near solid items that will provide a protective space, a void or space that could prevent injury or permit survival in the event of a major structural failure, a "pancake collapse", and specifiably advises against sheltering under tables.

   Officials of many agencies have found themselves forced to respond to these viral emails spreading the "Triangle of Life" method.



  









It has some conflict between these two theory.

The experts from Red Cross have given some suggestions.
       Mahdavifar et al. (2010) analyzed and compared both methods in detail, considering their application, the extent of people who are under the coverage, simplicity in transferring concepts, and the probability of reducing casualties and damage in developing countries such as Iran.

      It argued that "Drop, Cover and Hold on" was useful advice for people who expereince smaller earthquakes without total building collapse, which is the vast majority of earthquake survivors.

       It found that the "Triangle of life" could be a better strategy during larger earthquakes in buildings with a skeleton (wood or concrete) during a building collapse, but acknowledged the possible problems of large objects shifting and crushing the person from horizontal movement, and the triangle method is also difficult to teach and communicate.

      Neither strategy was useful for the majority of the population in rural Iran because of the mud-brick architecture which has no structure. Based on the simplicity of teaching and the fact that 12000 times more people are affected by smaller earthquakes and injured, they concluded that duck and cover is still regarded as a better option for people during an earthquake.

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